The finalists in the Best Licensed Property categories of The Licensing Awards 2012 were announced this week. The finalists in these categories were determined as a result of online submissions by brand owners and agencies, which were then reviewed and voted on by an extensive panel of experienced retailers and licensees.

Best Preschool Licensed Property

Fireman Sam

Octonauts

Peppa Pig

The Gruffalo

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Thomas & Friends

Best Schoolers, Tween, Or Teen Licensed Property

Deadly 60

Hello Kitty

Marvel’s Avengers

Moshi Monsters

Sonic The Hedgehog

Spongebob Squarepants

Best Sports Licensed Property

Arsenal Football Club

Chelsea FC

England Rugby

Liverpool Football Club

London 2012 Olympics

Manchester United Football Club

Best Celebrity Licensed Property

Jamie Oliver

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

One Direction

Madeleine Floyd

The Beatles

Best Brand Licensed Property

Britvic Brands

Jack Daniel’s

JCB

Me to You

National Trust

Orla Kiely

Best Classic Licensed Property

Mickey Mouse

Paddington

Scooby-Doo

Sesame Street

The Beano

Wallace & Gromit

The finalists of the product, retail, and marketing communications award categories were announced previously. A complete list of finalists is available on www.thelicensingawards.co.uk. The winners will be announced at The Licensing Awards event on September 11 in The Great Room at London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel. Tickets for The Licensing Awards 2012 event are available from Createvents by phone, 01252 781178, or by email, clare@createvents.co.uk.

The latest in the Kidz Bop audio series, Kidz Bop 22, landed a spot on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, ranking No. 3 The album is also No. 1 on Billboard’s Children’s Chart. The Kidz Bop Kids, the faces and voices behind the Kidz Bop brand, will embark on a 22-city national “It’s All About Music Tour.” The tour will feature 11-year-old music sensation Ethan Bortnick.

Timed to coincide with the release of Kidz Bop 22 and the national tour, Kidz Bop and Imperial Toy debuted a new line of pop star role-play toys. The line features musical microphones, keyboards, technological elements, and fashion accessories.

The tour kicked off Friday, July 27, in Pittsburgh and runs through September 2. Tickets are on sale now, and tour information is available at Kidzbop.com. The toys will be available in August from Toys “R” Us and other major retailers.

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA)’s bi-monthly webinar series resumes August 1, from 12-1:30 p.m., with a session spotlighting “Licensing in India.” Part of LIMA’s series exploring key growth markets, the upcoming presentation will provide information and perspective on the opportunities and challenges of the Indian licensing business. The webinar will be hosted by Sid Shah, president of The Wild East Group.

The presentation will provide information and perspective on the opportunities and challenges of the Indian licensing business. India represents one of the largest potential consumer markets in the world, with a population of 1.3 billion making it a strong target for consumer product marketers and global retailers.

LIMA webinars are free for all members and $99 per site for non-members. Click here for more information and to register.

Fox Consumer Products EMEA signed new licensing deals for U.S. author Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, which was recently voted as the best children’s book series of the last decade by UK kid audiences in a Blue Peter Poll.

The latest film in the series will be released on August 3, and the seventh book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel, will launch this November. Fox Consumer Products has secured new partners for the licensing program based on the book’s classic illustrations. With a target audience of 6- to 12-year-olds, the UK partners include BM Fashion for T-shirts and sweatshirts, Danilo for greeting cards, and Robert Frederick for stationery. Paul Lamond Games Ltd. is the UK distributor for Pressman’s puzzles and games.

Puffin, a UK publishing partner, has sold 6 million copies of the series, making it the most profitable brand in children’s publishing. Puffin has sold 5 million copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, the sixth book in the series, making it the best-selling children’s book of 2011 and the fastest-selling book across all adult and children’s titles.

More than 75 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are now in print in 36 territories and available in 35 languages worldwide.